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Thursday, August 12, 2010

Unfriendly Dogs

Have you ever found yourself being checked out, but not in the usual good way? Sometimes I go to these indoor play places and I feel like the women that are there with their kids are looking me over. Sometimes it feels like more than just a casual glance and for me it sometimes feels like they are wondering if I am some kind of predator. It’s not like I walked in alone and sat down on a chair and started watching kids. As it turns out, I am actually here with my kids and with no other motive but to play with my kids and watch them have fun, just as you are. I’m not alone in this phenomenon as I am sure many of you SAHDs are too. My friend, who just moved here from NYC, said that it is like you are a new dog in a neighborhood full of unfriendly dogs; each one you meet seems to approach you with wild barks instead of friendly wags and who can get close to that? I have experienced this in the grocery store where people have asked questions like “So do you have the day off today?” Another favorite is “Did you give your wife the day off so you could go grocery shopping?” (Yes, we all know how much I LOVE to do that) Just today, a woman said to my new dad in charge friend and me: “So are the two of you teachers?” My friend had never experienced that question and maybe it is because he is new to it or maybe it’s because these people don’t know many SAHDs. The assumption was that because we are guys and we are spending the morning with our kids we must have a job that allows us to do so. Therefore, we must be teachers. I get it. Not many guys do this or can afford to or even want to but I wish that the first question would be, “So do you stay at home too?” If that happened then my tail would definitely wag.